Kitty self-consciously did as she was told.

‘Wonderful!’ he exclaimed as the camera eventually clicked. ‘Now lean towards me and let your hair drape down across your neckline – that’s it, lovely! Now hold your arms out to me and give a little pout. Well done, Kitty.’

He was so complimentary and excited that it was infectious and soon Kitty’s confidence grew and there might have only been the two of them in the room as she did everything he asked her to. She suddenly wondered what Sunday would think if she could see her now, and just for a moment wished that she was there with her so that she could ask her for guidance. But then she pushed the thought aside and gave herself up to the pure joy of being in Richard’s presence.

Chapter Twenty

‘You did really well, my dear,’ Max praised her as he drove them back to Chelsea sometime later. ‘I’m sure Richard will have some wonderful shots from this afternoon’s session and we should be able to see them before long. He has his own dark room and develops his photographs himself.’

Kitty smiled in the back seat as she basked in his praise.

‘I’ve also been giving your name some thought. How about Kitty Nightingale? It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think, Ruby, my love? And it’s perfect for a singer.’

‘Yes, I quite like that.’ Ruby was keen to turn the subject back to herself now. Kitty had had far more than her share of attention for the afternoon, the way she saw it, so she began to chat of other things as Kitty sat silently staring from the window and dreamily thinking of Richard’s handsome face.

Once back at the house Ruby dismissed her, saying, ‘You’d best go and get Mabel to hang your new gown up for you. It was ridiculously expensive and we don’t want it all creased on the big night, do we?’ She then took Max’s arm possessively and marched him off towards the drawing room as Kitty tripped lightly away up the stairs.

As it happened Mabel was already in her room when she got there, putting away her freshly laundered clothes. This was another thing that Kitty was finding strange. Back at Treetops, Sunday had taught the older girls to wash and iron their own clothes as part of her plan for their independence, but here everything was done for her. Mabel even came to her room to turn the bedclothes back for her each night and it was taking some getting used to.

‘Oh, hello, miss,’ the friendly maid greeted her as she eyed the box in Kitty’s hands curiously. ‘I shan’t be a jiffy. Just need to finish this and I’ll be out of your way.’

‘Oh, it’s quite all right, Mabel,’ Kitty assured her, and as she gently lifted the gown from its box, Mabel couldn’t stifle an exclamation.

‘Blimey!’ She came to stand beside Kitty and stroked the material reverently. ‘Why, that is just so beautiful! I can’t imagine ever wearing summink like that, let alone owning it.’